Automatic machine for attaching fasteners to a workpiece



July 14, 1970 w. A. ERHARDT, JR., ETAL 3,520,046

AUTOMATIC MACHINE FOR ATTACHING FASTENERS TO A WORKPIECE Filed March 29, 1368 x 8 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. I

INVENTORS' WILLIAM A. ERHARDT JR. JOHN 'T. GRIFFIN g R QMW ATTORNEY July 14, 1970 w. A. ERHARDT, JR.. ET 3,520,046

AUTOMATIC MACHINE FOR ATTACHING FASTENERS TO A WORKPIECE Filed March 29, 1968 8 Sheets-Sheet 2 k\\\\ mmxv 6' 214 I I 245 21a I: 1' I44 FIG.6

INVENTORS WILLIAM A. ERHARDT JR. JOHN 'T. GRIFFIN 9 L Q awm July 14, 1970 w, RH JR" ETAL 3,520,046

AUTOMATIC MACHINE FOR ATTACHING FASTENERS TO A WORKPIECE Filed March 29, 1368 8 Sheets-Sheet 5 62 so 56 6? e0 INVENTORS WILLIAM A. ERHARDT JR. BY JOHN T. GRIFFIN 9am QOCLW AUTOMATIC MACHINE FOR ATTACHING FASTENERS TO A WORKPIECE Filed March 29, 1968 y 1970 w. A. ERHARDT, JR.. T L

8 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTORS WILLIAM A. ERHARDT JR. BY JOHN T. GRIFFIN FIG. 7

ATTORNEY y v1970 w. A. ERHARDT, JR.. AL

AUTOMATIC MACHINE FOR ATTACHING FASTENERS TO A WORKPIECE Filed March 29, 1968 8 Sheets-Sheet 6 INVENTORS WILLIAM A. ERHARDT JR JOHN T. GRIFFIN AT TOR NE Y July 14, 1910 W A ERHARDT,JR ETAL 3 ,520,046

AUTOMATIC MACHINE FOR ATTACHI'NG FASTENERS TO A WORKPIECE Filed March 29, 1968 8 Sheets-Sheet 7 INVENTORS WILLIAM A. ERHARDT JR. JOHN T. GR\FF|N ATTORNEY y 1970 w. A. ERHARDT, JR.. ETAL ,0 6

AUTOMATIC MACHINE FOR ATTACHING FASTENERS TO A WORKPIECE Filed March 29, 1968 8 Sheets-Sheet 8 I I l I II I a) I l I TBBl 1 M) d 0 E5 I I l C O I I P aa 1 I F I I as M I I I V I A2 I I I l '7 I II I cu I l m T v I 2 J L -J 2M1 I B I 3 I 2A0) 8 R5 8 I RI FIG. l5

INVENTORS WILLIAM A. ERHARDT JR. JOHN T- GRIFFIN ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,520,046 AUTOMATIC MACHINE FOR ATTACHING FASTENERS TO A WORKPIECE William A. Erhardt, Jr., Cambridge, and John T. Griffin, Peabody, Mass, assignors to United-Carr Incorporated, Boston, Mass., a corporation of Delaware Filed Mar. 29, 1968, Ser. No. 717,199 Int. Cl. B23g 7/10, 11/00 US. Cl. 29211 22 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention The invention relates to automatic fastener attaching mechanisms, in particular mechanisms having a progressive fastener feed capability wherein the attaching and feeding operations are mechanically independent.

Description of the prior art Heretofore in the art, machines performing the function of the apparatus disclosed herein have had a rather cumbersome design presenting an unattractive profilethey have been rather slow in operation and extremely noisy. More importantly, the prior art apparatus have been characterized by a punch driven by a crank arm connected to the shaft of a driving pulley, and a feeding mechanism wherein the parts are fed from an elevated hopper into a descending chute and thereafter into a raceway leading to the attaching station. In order to provide sufficient room for the insertion of a workpiece into the attaching area and to preclude any interference with the reciprocating punch, the intersection of the chute and raceway is usually located a substantial distance to the rear of the attaching station. A push finger disposed for reciprocation in the raceway is connected in turn to a lever which is pivotally mounted on the frame of the device adjacent the drive shaft of the pulley. The push finger is pulled forward to advance a fastener in the raceway to the attaching station by a spring which is normally under considerable tension and the finger is retracted by the action of an eccentric cam connected to the pulley drive shaft and acting on the pivotally mounted lever. On the up stroke of the punch the cam releases the lever to perimt the spring to pull the push finger forward and then re-engages the lever to retract the push finger prior to the punch redescending. Thus there is a direct mechanical tie-in between the operation of the punch and the fastener feed mechanism which severely limits the operating speed and also tends to render the operation of such devices inefficient. Since the push finger must reciprocate responsive to each revolution of the pulley drive shaft, a substantial increase in the rotation speed of the shaft necessitates either a change of the cam actuating the push finger or a chance of the actuating spring to provide increased driving tension or both in order to insure that the push finger operates at a speed sufiicient to carry a fastener to the attaching 3,520,046 Patented July 14, 1970 station and retract before the next down stroke of the punch. Further, since the fastener in the raceway moves the entire distance between the intersection of the feeding chute and the raceway and the attaching station, a push finger traveling at very high speed frequently drives a fastener beyond the attaching station or causes damage to the fastener by driving it against a stop or check means with excessive force. Another deficiency in the prior art devices is that the width of the raceway is fixed and it must be completely replaced to accommodate differently sized fasteners.

By comparison, the presently disclosed machine presents a low, attractive profile resembling the well-known consoles used with data processing systems. Since the entire operating mechanism is enclosed and the undersides of the covers and casings carry soundproofing material, the operation is extremely quiet. The feeding and attaching operations are mechanically independent, thereby permitting alteration of the sequence of operation without major overhaul. The fastener guide rails along which parts are transported from the conveyor to the attaching station are readily adjustable to accommodate fasteners of different sizes. Most importantly, the parts are progressively transported toward the attaching station so that the distance an individual fasener is moved by the pushers in each stroke of the indexing mechanism is very short. The speed of operation of the machine can be increased or decreased by asimple adjustment of the timers which control the cycling of the punch and indexing mechanism. Lastly, a substantial increase in the speed at which the pushers travel on the forward stroke of the indexing mechanism does not precipitate improper feeding or damage to the parts since, as aforesaid, the distance the fasteners move on each individual stroke is minimal.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A fastener attaching machine according to the invention comprises a frame, a fastener dispensing hopper mounted on the frame, adjustable fastener guide rails mounted on the support plate, a conveyor which transports fasteners from the hopper to one end of the guide rails a die mounted on the support plate adjacent the opposite end of the guide rails, a reciprocable punch mounted on the frame above the die and cooperable with the die to attach a fastener to a workpiece, a linear reciprocating indexing mechanism mounted on the support plate and carrying a plurality of pushers which move between the guide rails and progressively and incrementally advance fasteners from the conveyor to the die along a track defined by the guide rails, separate pneumatically driven piston arms for cycling the punch and indexing mechanism, and timers which sequentially activate the piston arms.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is an over-all perspective view of an automatic fastener attaching machine according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a clip which is illustrative of one type of fastener which the machine is capable of attaching;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view depicting the clip of FIG. 2 attached to a workpiece;

FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of the punch drive assembly and fastener transporter mechanism with the punch per se removed;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged side elevational view of the toggle press which drives the fastener setting punch, and the conveyor drive mechanism;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged partial view of the machine taken on line 66 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of the fastener transporting and attaching mechanisms with the conveyor mechanism partly broken away;

FIG. 8 is a top plan view of the fastener transporter mechanism;

FIG. 9 is a front elevational view of the fastener transporter mechanism;

FIG. 10 is a side elevational view of the transporter mechanism looking from the left of FIG. 8;

FIG. 11 is a view similar to FIG. 10 looking from the right of FIG. 8;

FIG. 12 is a part side elevational and part sectional view of the transporter mechanism depicting the fastener indexing mechanism at the completion of the forward stroke of its cycle;

FIG. 13 is a part side elevational and part sectional view depicting the fastener indexing mechanism approximately midway in the return stroke of its cycle;

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the die plate assembly; and

FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram of the control circuitry for the attaching machine.

For purposes of illustration only the disclosed embodiment of the invention will hereinafter be described with reference to its capacity for attaching the clip disclosed in FIGS. 2 and 3 to a workpiece. The clip 2, which is often referred to as a stud plate, is a brass stamping having a base 4, a top plate 6 connected to the base through a reversely bent bite 8, a stud 10 projecting from the outer face of the top plate 6, and a pair of rosettes 12 which are struck from the top plate and extend downwardly toward the base 4. The included angle at the bite 8 is on the order of 45. The clip or stud plate 2 is one component of a snap fastener combination utilized to close the flaps of leather goods articles such as wallets, change pockets, pass cases, etc. Thus, as seen in FIG. 3, the clip is crimped over the faces of the leather workpiece 14 with the bite 8 lying adjacent the leading edge of the workpiece and the stud 10 extending away from the workpiece to mate with a socket mounted elsewhere on the workpiece.

FRAME ASSEMBLY As depicted in the over-all perspective view of FIG. 1, a fastener attaching machine according to the invention has a main table 16 which rests on the floor and extends upwardly to a height sufficient to accommodate a comfortably-seated operator. The table 16 supports a fastener transporting and attaching mechanism which is located adjacent the top 18 of the table directly beneath a cover 20. The cover 20 is hinged at its left edge to the top 18 and can thus be raised and lowered, from right to left as viewed in FIG. 1, to provide access to the fastener transporting and attaching mechanism. The front 22 of the cover 20 has a slot 24 adjacent the table top 18 into which an operator feeds the work to which a fastener is to be attached.

A work-supporting plate 26, which is attached to the top 18 and extends between the front edge of the top and the slot 24 in the cover, carries a laterally adjustable work guide 28 which extends above the work-supporting plate 26 and provides a straight edge against which the operator can position the work in order to properly orient the work with a fastener setting punch which is located beneath the front 22 of the cover 20 immediately to the rear of the slot 24.

An auxiliary table 30 which rests on the floor adjacent the right side of the main table 16 has a drawer 32 for the storage of maintenance and operating manuals, tools, etc. The top 34 of the auxiliary table 30 supports a casing 36 within which is located a vibratory feed type hopper. Various control switches and knobs are mounted in a panel 38 on the front face of the casing 36 and a casing cover 40 is hinged to the casing at its rear edge and can be raised and lowered for the placing of fasteners in the hopper bowl.

A conveyor track extends from the hopper through an opening in the left side of the casing cover 40 and into an opening in the main table cover 20 at the level of main table top 18. A pivotable conveyor track cover 42 extends over that portion of the conveyor track between the covers 20 and 40. Fasteners are carried, in the conveyor track, from the hopper to the fastener transporting and attaching mechanism by a conveyor belt which moves from right to left (as the machine is viewed in FIG. 1) directly beneath the conveyor track.

Soundproofing material (not shown) which is attached to the underside of both covers 20 and 40 dampens out noise generated by the operation of the punch, the indexing mechanism, and the hopper.

The main support housing 44, which is best depicted in FIG. 1, is a heavy metal casting of generally rectangular shape which is bolted to the main table 16 beneath the cover 20. The peripheral edge portions 46 of the main support housing lie at the level of the table top 18 and the interior of the housing is dished to form a well having a base 48 lying below table top level. Two opposed punch slide assembly supporting posts 50, which are part of the main support housing casting extend upwardly from the housing adjacent its front corners, and two fastener transporter assembly support posts 52, depicted in phantom in FIG. 7, extend upwardly from the base 48 of the housing adjacent its back wall.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE MECHANICAL COMPONENTS OF THE FASTENER TRANS- PORTER AND A'ITACHING MECHANISM (1) Punch assembly The punch 54 which is particularly adapted for crimping the clip 2 is bolted to the underside of the head assembly 56 of a toggle press generally designated 58. The toggle press includes an actuator torque bar 60 which is rotatably mounted in the upper ends of the support posts 50 and is keyed at its left end as viewed in. FIG. 7 to an actuator lever 62. The actuator lever 62 is connected through a clevis to the upper link 64 of a toggle joint 66. The lower link 68 of the toggle is connected to a clevis 70 which is fixed to the base 48 of the main support housing and the middle link 72 of the toggle is clevised to the end of the piston arm 74 of a high pressure air cylinder 76.

The press head assembly 56 is mounted for vertical reciprocating travel in a slide support assembly having spaced arms 78 which are bolted to a cross bar 80 extending between the rear faces of the support posts 50. Punch drive lever 82 is keyed to the actuator torque bar 60 between the arms 78 of the slide support assembly and is connected through a clevis 84 to the press head assembly 56.

The lower face of the punch 54 is provided with a clearance recess 86 for the stud 10 of the clip and two spaced projections 88 which seat in the apertures defined by the rosettes 12 when the punch descends to insure that the rosettes are firmly pressed into the workpiece.

(2) The fastener transporter mechanism The fastener transporter mechanism, which is best depicted in FIGS. 7, 8, 9, l0 and 11, consists of a stationary subassembly and a clip indexing subassembly'which co operate to progressively transport clips from the conveyor belt to a fixed location beneath the punch 54.

The stationary subassembly includes a base plate 90, a rear clip guide 92, a front clip guide 94, and left and right clip guide rails 96 and 98, respectively.

The base plate 90, which is of generally rectangular shape, has a relatively wide open-end slot 100 extending from its back edge forwardly for about one-third of its length, a first transverse recess 102 extending across its Width adjacent the fonward, closed end of slot 100, second and third transverse recesses 104 and 106, respectively, extending across its width spacedly forward of recess 102, the recesses 104 and 106 being undercut to present an inverted T shape in elevation, a front transverse recess 108 extending across the major portion of its width and opening at its end remote from slot 100, and a plurality of narrow, parallel slots 110 having closed ends and being of equal length which extend from points slightly forward of the rear edge of recess 108 to points slightly rearward of recess 104. At the bottom of recess 108, a U-shaped lip 112 defines a central U-shaped opening 14, the sides of the lip 112 having elongated slots 116 formed therein. The base plate is bolted to main support housing 44. Its forward edge 118 is laterally aligned with the forward edge of the main support housing and its upper surface lies level with the top surface of the work-supporting plate 26. The rear end of the base plate 90 adjacent the open end of slot is bolted to the spaced support posts 52.

The rear clip guide 92 is fastened to the top surface of the base plate 90 and its forward edge slightly overlies the transverse recess 102.

The front clip guide 94, which is considerably shorter than the clip guide 92, is fastened to the base plate 90 such that it substantially overlies the transverse slot 102 with its rear edge being slightly spaced from the forward edge of rear clip guide 92.

The left and right guide rails 96 and 98 are essentially elongated rectangular blocks which are secured to the base plate by T bolts, the heads of which lie in and transverse to the recesses 104 and 106 in the base plate. Thus the guide rails which lie parallel to each other and to the slots 110 are laterally adjustable to accommodate clips of different lengths. The rear end of guide rail 96 lies flush against the forward edge of the rear clip guide 92 but the beveled rear end 122 of guide rail 98 is spaced from the forward edge of clip guide 92.

Each of the guide rails 96 and 98 carries a small, spring-loaded detent 124 and 126, respectively, which are pivotally seated in the forward inside walls of the guide rails. The detents 124 and 126 project slightly above the top surface of the base plate 90 and are normally biased toward each other and into the track defined by the opposed parallel inside walls of the guide rails. While the inside wall of left guide rail 96 is solid and fixed, the inside wall of right guide rail 98 is in effect formed by the aligned faces of two spring-loaded pressure plates 128 and 130 which are normally biased toward the left guide rail 96. Pressure plate 130 extends forwardly beyond detent 126 and is biased by springs separate from that acting on said detent.

The clip indexing subassembly includes a drive plate 132, left and right front carriages 134 and 136, left and right rear carriages 138 and 140, an upper pivot shaft 142, a lower pivot shaft 144, a pivot cam assembly 146, a toggle assembly 148, an upper pusher and a lower pusher 152.

The front and rear carriages are bolted to the sides of the drive plate 132 and extend upwardly over the sides of the stationary base plate 90 which are slidably seated in recesses in the carriages. Thus the clip indexing subassembly is mounted for linear reciprocating travel with respect to the base plate 90. The forward end 156 of the drive plate 132 lies in a plane parallel to the extreme lower forward ends of front carriages, and in the fully retracted condition depicted in FIG. 8, the rear end of the drive plate lies slightly to the rear of the base plate 90. The central portion of the rear end of the drive plate is connected through a linkage generally designated 158 to the piston arm 160 of a second air cylinder 162 which in turn is connected to a high pressure air source.

Each of the front carriages 134 and 136 has an upper rearwardly extending arm 164 and 166, respectively, which lies above but parallel to the plane of the base plate 90 and each has a forwardly extending lug 168 and 170, respectively, which lugs lie below the plane of the base plate 6 90 and slightly forward of the front edge 156 of the drive plate 132.

The upper pivot shaft 142 extends through laterally aligned bores formed in the arms 164 and 166 on the front carriages and the lower pivot shaft 144 extends through laterally aligned bores in the lugs 168 and 170. The shafts are rotatably secured to the arms and lugs by appropriately positioned retaining rings. The upper pivot shaft lies above the plane of the top surfaces of guide rails 96 and 98 and the lower pivot shaft lies parallel to the front edge 156 of the drive plate.

The upper pusher 150 is fixedly clamped to the central portion of upper pivot shaft 142 and lies equidistant from the inside walls of the guide rails 96 and 98. The body of the pusher extends angularly downwardly toward the plane of the base plate 90 and its lower end terminates in two spaced fingers 172 which lie parallel to and slightly above the forward edge of rear clip guide 92 when the indexing mechanism is fully retracted.

The lower pusher 152 comprises two spaced fingers 174 which are clamped to the central portion of the lower pivot shaft 144 and normally extend angularly forwardly and upwardly through the spaced slots 110 in the base plate 90 which lie between the guide rails 96 and 98. The upper ends of the fingers 174 are in the form of books which normally lie slightly above the upper surface of base plate 90 and have an arcuate contour comparable to the external arc of the bite 8 of the clip 2.

Pivot cam assembly 146 includes a pivot cam 178. a pivot cam arm and a pivot spring 182. The pivot cam 178, which is fixed to the left end of the upper pivot shaft 142, is generally semicircular in shape and has a recess 184 formed in its left side, which recess has a depth equal to the thickness of pivot cam arm 180. The pivot cam arm, which is generally of oblong shape and has arcuate ends, is swingably mounted adjacent one of its ends on a pivot pin 183 which projects outwardly from the back wall of the recess 184 adjacent the upper edge of the pivot cam. The axis of pin 183 is parallel to the upper pivot shaft 142 and the free end of the pivot cam arm normally lies below the external lower edge of the pivot cam. The recess 184 is generally defined by three side walls 186, 188 and 190. Side walls 186 and 188 are parallel to each other, spaced from each other a distance greater than the width of the pivot cam arm 180, and lie at an acute angle to the sides of the pivot cam arm. Wall 190 is parallel to the right or forward side of the pivot cam arm and is spaced from the axis of the pin 183 a distance approximately equal to one half the width of the pivot cam arm. Thus the forward or right edge of the pivot cam arm, as viewed in FIGS. 8 and 10, normally lies flush against the wall 190 of the recess 184.

Pivot spring 182 is connected between a post 192 projecting from the back of pivot cam 178 and a post 194 projecting upwardly from the left front carriage 134. The spring 182 which is normally under slight tension tends to rotate pivot cam 178 and the upper pivot shaft 142 to which the cam is fixed in a clockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 10. Thus, the upper pusher is normally biased downwardly to the extent permitted by the engagement of its lower edge against the upper surface of rear clip guide 92.

The toggle assembly 148, which is best seen in FIG. 11, includes an upper pivot arm 196, an upper link 198, a toggle 200, a lower link 202, and a lower pivot arm 204.

The lower end of the upper pivot arm 196 is fixedly clamped to the right end of the upper pivot shaft 142 and its upper end is pivotally coupled about the upper end of the upper link 198. Toggle 200 is an L-shaped bracket. The long arm of the toggle is pivotally mounted at one end on the outside of the right front carriage 136 and its opposite end is pivotally coupled about the lower link 202. The shorter upstanding arm of the toggle is pivotally coupled about the lower end of the upper link 198. The latter coupling lies above and parallel to the coupling of the long arm of the toggle to the lower link. The straight lower link 202 is pivotally coupled at its opposite end within the forked upper end of the lower pivot arm 204, which pivot arm is clamped to the right end of the lower pivot shaft 144.

Since, as earlier stated, pivot spring 182 tends to rotate the pivot cam 178 and the upper pivot shaft 142 to which the cam is clamped in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 11, the upper pivot arm 196 which is clamped to the right end of shaft 142 is also rotated in the same direction. Thus the upper pivot arm drives the upper link forwardly and downwardly and the link holds the toggle long arm in line with the straight lower link and the coupling of the latter to the lower pivot arm 204. Since the lower link extends forwardly beyond the lower pivot shaft 144, the lower pivot arm and the shaft to which it is clamped are also rotated counterclockwise as viewed in FIG. 11, which rotation drives the lower pusher forwardly or counterclockwise so that the hooked ends of the fingers 174 project upwardly through the spaced slots 110 in the base plate 90. Since the coupling of the upper link 198 to the short arm of the toggle is vertically aligned with the coupling of the long arm of the toggle to the lower link, the long arm of the toggle is held down in straight line relationshi with the lower link and the coupling of the latter to the lower pivot arm during forward linear travel of the indexing mechanism. Thus the hooked ends of the lower pusher 152 always extend above the upper surface of the base plate during the forward stroke of the indexing mechanism.

As best seen in FIGS. 7, 12 and 13, a pivot cam actuator 206 which is bolted through an integral angled bracket 208 to the main support housing 44, has a stepped, upstanding, pivot cam actuator arm, the upper surface 210 of which is longitudinally aligned with and at a level slightly above the arcuate free end of the ivot cam arm 180. The slots in the bracket through which the mounting bolts extend are elongated to provide for longitudinal adjustment of the pivot cam actuator. The interaction between the pivot cam arm and the cam actuator arm during operation of the transporter mechanism Will be described in detail hereinafter.

As earlier stated, the left and right guide rails may be laterally adjusted to accept clips which are longer than the clip 2, in which case additional pushers or wider pushers can be readily clamped to the pivot shafts to insure uniform engagement of the longer clips. The number of additional fingers which can be added to the lower pivot shaft would, of course, be limited by the number of slots 110 located between the guide rails for any given spacing of the latter. The reader will also appreciate that the transporter mechanism might be modified to include additional pivot shafts, pushers and the necessary linkage between the shafts coupled with a lengthening of the guide rails to the extent that the machine would be capable of progressively advancing more than two clips toward the die on each forward stroke of the indexing mechanism.

(3) The die assembly As best seen in FIGS. 6, 7 and 14, the die plate subassembly generally designated 212 is seated in the recess 108 in the forward end of the base plate 90. The components which make up the die plate subassembly include a die plate 214, a tip plate 216, a tip plate bracket 218, a stop bar 220, stop bar springs 222, and a tip plate spring 224. The die plate 214 is of generally rectangular shape and has a central, U-shaped recess 226 communicating with a U-shaped opening 228. As best seen in FIG. 14, a downwardly projecting lug 230 having parallel sides 232 cooperates with the upper portion of the die plate to define two opposed, undercut notches 234. The

tip plate 216 is also rectangular in shape and includes a back portion 236 and rearwardly projecting lip 238. The back portion 236 is pivotally mounted in the die plate by two pins which project outwardly from the sides of the back portion and are rotatably secured in the notches 234 in the die plate. The rearwardly projecting lip 238 overlies the portion of the die plate defining the base of recess 226.

The die plate and tip plate are seated in the recess 108 in the base plate in such a way that the die plate overlies the lip 112 defining the base of the recess 108 and the parallel sides 232 of the lug 230 lie flush against the internal side edges of the lip 112 defining the opening 114. Since the width of the die plate is less than the width of the recess .108 and the die plate usually lies flush against the rear edge of the recess, there is a small gap between the forward edge of the die plate and the forward edge 118 of the base plate 90. The die plate and tip plate are slidably secured within the recess 108 by appropriate bolts and spacers which extend upwardly through the stop bar 220, which lies beneath the base plate 90, and through the elongated slots 116 in the lip 112. The stop bar 220, which has a length greater than the width of the base plate 90 whereby its left and right ends project laterally beyond the sides of the base plate, is secured to the die plate, but is movable with the overall die plate assembly.

Two coil springs 222 which have one end seated in spaced recesses in the forward face of the stop bar 220 and their other ends seated in recesses in the front Wall of the main support housing 44, normally bias the die plate assembly rearwardly so that the rear edge of the die plate 214 lies flush against the rear edge of recess 108 as is clearly depicted in FIG. 7. The tip plate bracket 218 is a right-angled piece having an upper arm seated in a slot in the back portion 236 of the tip plate and a lower arm which extends downwardly through the opening 228 in the die plate and into the well in the main support housing 44. Spring 224 is connected in tension between the lower arm of the tip plate bracket and a tab 240 projecting downwardly from the undersurface of the stop bar 220. Spring 224 normally pulls the tip plate bracket toward the stop bar thus rotating the tip plate upwardly or clockwise as viewed in FIG. 12 whereby the rear edge of the lip 238 on the tip plate normally lies slightly above the upper surface of the die plate 214. A shock-absorbing bumper 242 is cemented to the rear face of the stop bar 220 for a purpose which will become evident hereinafter.

(4) The conveyor assembly As best depicted in FIGS. 5, 6 and7 an endless driving belt 244 is splined over both a lower sprocket 246 which is connected to the drive shaft of a motor 248 mounted in a shelf in the bottom of table .16 and an upper sprocket 250 which is connected through shaft 252 to a third sprocket 254. The shaft 252 extends through an elongated bushing 256 which is adjustably fixed to the left rear portion of the base 48 of the well in the main support housing 44.

An endless conveyor belt 258 which is splined over the third sprocket 254 and a fourth sprocket located at the exit from the vibratory hopper in casing 36 extends transversely across the clip transporter mechanism. The lower reach of the conveyor belt 258 underlies the drive plate 132, while the upper reach lies in the recess 102 in the base plate 90 such that the upper belt surface is flush with the top surface of the base plate and lies immediately beneath the rear clip guide 92, the front clip guide 94, the left and right guide rails 96, 98 and the conveyor track 260. From the foregoing description the reader will readily appreciate that the motor 248 drives the belt 244 in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 5, which belt in turn drives the shaft 252 and the sprockets mounted thereon counterclockwise as viewed in 9 FIG. 7. Thus the upper reach of the conveyor belt 258 always travels from right to left beneath the conveyor track 260 and through the recess 102 in the base plate 90.

Clips 2 are fed from the hopper onto the conveyor belt 258 and into the conveyor track 260 in the attitude shown in FIG. 6. Ergo, the base 4 of the clip lies on the conveyor belt beneath the track 260, while the top plate 6 extends angularly upwardly through the gap in the track. Thus the clip proceeds left edge leading along the track and into the gaps defined by the edges of the front and rear guides 94 and 92 and the rear guide and the rear edge 122 of right guide rail 98, which rear edge is beveled to clear the top plate 6 of the clip, until further advancement of the clips is prohibited by the engagement of the hooked stop of an escapement mechanism with the stud 10 of the leading clip.

From the foregoing description of the conveyor assembly it is evident that the front and rear clip guides 94 and 92 are actually part of the conveyor assembly. However, for purposes of lending clarity to this disclosure, it was deemed advisable to describe them in detail in connection with the earlier description of the fastener transporter mechanism.

( The clip stop and escapement mechanism The clip stop and escapement mechanism depicted in FIG. 7 is generally designated 262 and includes two elongated guide blocks 264 and 266 which are mounted in spaced parallel relationship on the right rear portion of the base plate 90 below the level of the upper pivot shaft 142 and which cooperatively define a channel in which an escapement pusher 268 is slidably mounted for linear reciprocating travel in a direction parallel to the guide blocks. The forward end of the escapement pusher 268 normally extends beyond the forward ends of the guide blocks and over the rear clip guide 92.

A bracket mounted on the top of the forward end of the escapement pusher extends perpendicularly to the left and terminates in a forwardly and downwardly extending hook 270 which overlies the beveled rear end of the right guide rail 98 and extends across the gap between the guide rail and the forward edge of rear clip guide 92. A stop block 272 is mounted in the rear portions of the guide blocks 264, 266 and extends transversely across the channel above the escapement pusher 268. An elongated stop lug 274 which extends upwardly from the escapement pusher and is located in the channel to the rear of the stop block 272 is normally biased against the rear face of the stop block by a spring 276 which is connected in tension between upwardly extending posts on the stop block and the rear end of the stop lug.

A trigger 278 is pivotally mounted in the base of a shallow notch in the guide block 266. The trigger is pivotable in a plane parallel to the base plate 90 and normally lies perpendicular to the guide blocks and the channel therebetween. The left end of the trigger which lies in the channel is connected to an extension spring 280 which extends diagonally rearwardly and has its opposite end connected to a post on the right end of stop block 266. The right end of the trigger, which has an arcuate termination, extends beyond the right edge of the guide block 266 above the level of the top surface of the right rear carriage 140 and acts as a cam follower in a manner to be explained hereinafter.

A shorter lug 282 which extends upwardly from the escapement pusher 268 and lies in the channel forward of the stop block 272 lies normal to the left end of the trigger. Since spring 276 is of a heavier gage and exerts a greater forward pull on the escapement pusher than the rearward pull exerted by the spring 280 on the trigger 278 the forward end of the short lug 282 is normally biased against the left end of the trigger and holds the latter in the position shown in FIG. 7.

A cam arm 284, which is bolted to the right rear carriage 140, has an upper left edge which lies perpendicular to and longitudinally in line with the arcuate termination on the right end of the trigger 278.

From the foregoing description the reader will appreciate that on the forward stroke of the clip indexing mechanism,the cam arm 284 engages the right end of the trigger causing the latter to pivot clockwise as viewed in FIG. 7. The left end of the trigger in turn drives the lug 282 to the rear against the front face of the stop block 272. Thus the escapement pusher 268 is simultaneously pulled to the rear and the hook 270 is pulled out of the path of travel of the clips on the conveyor belt, thereby allowing the belt to advance the leading clip into the track defined by the left and right guide rails and in front of the upper pusher 150. When the escapement pusher 268 is pulled to the rear, spring 276 is placed in greater tension and the tension on spring 280 is relieved. When the cam arm 284 finally passes beyond the trigger 278, spring 276 immediately drives the escapement pusher 268 and hook 270 forwardly to stop the clip following the leading clip from being advanced any farther by the conveyor belt. When the indexing mechanism retracts, the trigger is pivoted counterclockwise against the pull of spring 280 until the cam arm 284 clears the edge of its right end, whereupon the spring 280 pulls the trigger back to the starting position.

The length of the cam arm 284 is predetermined to insure that the escapement mechanism remains retracted for a time suflicient to allow the leading clip to be advanced into the path of travel of the upper pusher. Since the escapement mechanism operates independently of the conveyor belt, it will only permit a single clip to be moved in front of the upper pusher during each cycle of the indexing mechanism.

THE MECHANICAL OPERATION OF THE MACHINE Through control switches which are tied into the electrical and air control subassemblies described in detail hereinafter, an operator energizes the fastener transporter and attaching mechanisms, the vibratory hopper (clips having been previously placed in the hopper bowl) and the conveyor belt to cause a series of clips to be transported from the hopper to the transporter up to the point Where the leading clip is stopped by the hook 270 of the escapement mechanism. The indexing mechanism is then repetitively cycled by the operation of a jogging switch until three clips are positioned in the track between the left and right guide rails 96 and 98. As best seen in FIG. 6, the first clip is moved to position A, that is onto the die plate 214 directly beneath the punch 54. The second clip is moved to position B which is immediately in front of the hooked ends of the fingers 174 of the lower pusher. The third clip is moved to position C which is between the rear ends of the guide rails immediately in front of the upper pusher 150.

With clips at positions A, B and C, the operator places a workpiece 14 on the work supporting plate 26 with an edge of the workpiece against the work guide 28, inserts the workpiece into the slot 24 in the front of the cover 20 until the leading edge of the workpiece rests against the inner surface of the bite 8 of the clip at position A, and commences making attachments, operating the machine through a switch actuated by a spring-loaded foot peddle which rests on the floor beneath the main table 16.

When the foot peddle is depressed the piston arm 74 of air cylinder 76 is driven forwardly or to the right as viewed in FIGS. 7 and 5, respectively. The middle link 72 of the toggle joint 66 is driven forwardly and upwardly and forces the upper and lower links 64 and 68 of the toggle into a straight line condition. The actuator lever 62 and the torque bar 60 are thus rotated clockwise as viewed in FIG. 5 and the punch drive lever 82 depresses the press head. The punch 54 engages the clip at position 1 1 A and acting in cooperation with the die plate 214 crimps the clip about the forward edge of the workpiece. The piston arm 74 thereafter automatically and immediately retracts and the punch is raised permitting the operator to remove the workpiece from the machine.

When the punch 54 is fully raised, the air cylinder 162 automatically drives its piston arm 160 and the drive plate 132 of the indexing mechanism forward toward the die plate assembly 212. On the forward stroke of the indexing mechanism, the free end of the pivot cam arm 180 rides up on the upper surface 210 of the pivot cam actuator arm 206 and the pivot cam arm swings about pin 183 toward the wall 186 defining the recess 184 in the pivot cam, but only engages said wall to a limited extent. This limited engagement, if any, tends to rotate the pivot cam clockwise as viewed in FIG. 12. Thus, on the forward stroke of the indexing mechanism, the upper pusher 150 transports the clip formerly at position C to position B and the lower pusher transports the clip formerly at position B to position A. As the clips move forward between the guide rails 96 and 98, the lateral bias of the pressure plates 128 and 130 on the clips tends to prohibit any twisting or rotating of the clips so that they remain straightly transverse to the track defined by the guide rails. As the clip being transported from position B to position A moves onto the die plate 214, it deflects the spring-loaded detents 124 and 126 into the guide rails and the leading edge of the base 4 of the clip engages the rear edge of the lip 238 on the tip plate 216. Simultaneously, the forward faces of the lugs 168 and 170 on the front carriages 134 and 136 engage the bumper 242 on the stop bar 220 of the die plate assembly forcing the die plate and tip plate forwardly against the bias of the springs 222 until the forward edge of the die plate lies flush with the forward edge 118 of the base plate 90. This slight forward movement of the die plate assembly allows the clip to move beyond the detents 124 and 126 while still under the lateral bias of the pressure plate 130'. Once the clip clears the detents, the latter spring back into the track between the guide rails behind the clip. The length and duration of the forward stroke of piston arm 160 are timed so that upon the completion of the forward movement of the die plate assembly described immediately above, the piston arm immediately retracts.

When the indexing mechanism commences the return portion of its cycle, the force of the carriage lugs 168 and 170 against the stop bar 220 is removed and the die plate assembly is returned to its normal position described earlier by the stop bar springs 222. This return of the die plate assembly causes the clip at position A to be trapped between the detents and the rear edge of the lip 238 on the tip plate 216. Thus the clip is fixedly positioned in a proper transverse attitude directly beneath the punch As the indexing mechanism continues the return portion of its cycle, the pivot cam arm 180, which had dropped free of the forward end of the pivot cam actuator arm 206 during the completion of the forward stroke, again rides up on the upper surface of the actuator arm and as seen in FIG. 13 swings counterclockwise against the side wall 190 of the pivot cam 178 and rotates the pivot cam and the upper pivot shaft 142 fixed thereto counterclockwise against the pull of spring 182, the upper pusher 150 thus being rotated upwardly from the base plate 90 Responsive to the aforementioned rotation of the upper pivot shaft 142, the upper pivot arm 196 of the toggle assembly 148 is rotated clockwise as viewed in FIG. 11. Through the upper pivot arm 196, the upper link 198, toggle 200 and lower link 202 are all pulled upwardly and to the right as viewed in the sam e figure and the lower pivot arm 204 and lower pivot shaft 144 are rotated counterclockwise. Thus, simultaneously with the upward rotation of the upper pusher 150, the lower pusher 152 is rotated downwardly to the extent that the hooked ends of the fingers 174 descend below the upper surface of the base plate and pass under the clip at position B.

Due to the earlier described operation of the escapement mechanism during the forward stroke of the indexing mechanism, another clip has automatically been advanced by the conveyor belt to position C.

As the indexing mechanism completes its return stroke, the upper pusher passes over the top plate 6 of the new clip at position C and as soon as it clears the clip the pivot cam arm 180 drops free of the rear edge of the pivot cam actuator arm 206. The pivot cam 178 and the upper pivot shaft 142 are immediately rotated clockwise, as viewed in FIG. 10, by the recoil of spring 182 and the upper pusher drops into its normal position immediately at the rear of the clip at position C. Simultaneously, through the toggle linkage 148, the lower pivot shaft 144 is rotated counterclockwise, as viewed in FIG. 11, and the hooked ends of the lower pusher 152 spring forwardly and upwardly behind the lip then at position B. At this point the indexing mechanism comes to rest in the fully retracted condition. The elapsed time between foot peddle depression and the completion of the indexing mechanisms return stroke is on the order of one second.

THE CONTROL MECHANISM The reader should now have reference to the schematic diagram of FIG. 15 wherein components designated by reference characters including the letter S are switches, those designated by reference characters including the letter T are timers and those designated by reference characters including the letter R are relays. The reference character SOL designates a solenoid. Main power switch PS, hopper switch HS, belt switch BS, the control knob for Variac V, the push button for jog switch 18 and a rotary control knob for single-automatic mode switch AS are all mounted on the control panel 38 on the front face of the casing 36. Foot switch contacts PS1 and PS2 which are normally opened and normally closed, respectively, are operated by the foot peddle which rests on the floor beneath table 16. The timers, relays and solenoids are located in a control box mounted on the back of table 16. Foot switch FS is a flip-flop type whereby the depression of the foot peddle closes the normally open contacts PS1 and opens the normally closed contacts PS2 and vice versa when the foot peddle is released. Jog switch contacts I S1/ 2, which are normally closed, are opened when the jog switch button is depressed and the normally open contacts JS3/4 are closed when the push button is depressed. Solenoids SOL-1 and SOL-2 operate control valves through which high pressure air from the source is applied to the forward and return sides, respectively, of the piston arm 74 which drives punch 54. Similarly, SOL-3 and SOL4 control the air pressure on piston arm which drives the indexing mechanism.

The machine is initially energized by the operator closing switches PS, HS and BS and setting the Variac V for the desired speed of operation of the vibratory hoppor. When the power switch PS is closed the lights shown schematically in FIG. 15, which are mounted on the front of the punch slide assembly supporting posts 50, are turned on to illuminate the area of the worksupporting plate 26 and the die plate assembly 212. The closing of belt switch BS energizes the belt drive motor causing the conveyor belt 258 to commence rotating and a series of clips which are fed from the hopper are transported by the conveyor belt up to the point where the leading clip is engaged by the hook 270 of the escapement mechanism as earlier described. At this point the operator repetitively cycles the indexing mechanism by operating the jog switch J S (the particulars of which will be decribed hereinafter) to advance three clips to the positions A, B and C depicted in FIG. 6. Assuming now that the operator desires to run the machine in the automatic mode, the knob controlling switch AS is rotated to the automatic position and a workpiece is thereafter placed on the die plate assembly with its leading edge against the bite 8 of the clip at position A.

The operator now commences making attachments by depressing the foot peddle and holding it down. When the peddle is depressed, contacts PS1 are closed and relay R2, timer TA and punch drive solenoid SOL-1 are energized through the normally closed contacts TA1/4 and the punch descends crimping the clip at position A to the workpiece. When relay R2 fires, its normally open contacts R21/3 close and current flows through the path defined by normally closed contacts R15/8 and relay contacts R21/ 3 to insure that timer TA remains energized even if the operator should inadvertently release the foot peddle to open switch contacts PS1. When timer TA times out its contacts TA8/ 6 open. in effect disabling the switch PS1, and normally open contacts TA1/ 3 close energizing solenoid SOL-2 whereby the punch is raised and contacts TA1/4 open deenergizing SOL-1.

When timer TA times out and its contact TA1/3 close, the said contacts remain closed and relay R3 and timer TB are energized through the normally closed contacts 181/ 2. When timer TB times out, its normally open contacts TB8/ 6 close and solenoid SOL-3 and timer TC are energized through the closed switch contacts AS. Milliseconds which elapse during the timing out of timer TB insure that the punch is fully raised before solenoid SOL-3 is energized. The energization of solenoid SOL3 causes the indexing mechanism to drive forward transporting the clips at positions B and C to positions A and B, respectively, as earlier described. During the forward stroke of the indexing mechanism, timer TC times out, its normally closed contact TC4/1 opens deenergizing solenoid SOL-3 and closing its normally open contacts TC3/1 thereby energizing the indexing mechanism return solenoid SOL-4 and relay R1 and the indexing mechanism is retracted. The firing of relay R1 opens its normally closed contacts R15/ 8 thereby deenergizing relay R2, timer TA, punch return solenoid SOL-2, relay R3 and timer TB which in effect reestablishes all the components in their normal condition and precipitates an immediate redescent of the punch since, as aforesaid, the operator holds the foot peddle in the depressed condition closing contacts PS1 and the entire cycle is repeated. As earlier mentioned the time lapse between the initial closing of the foot switch contacts PS1 and the complete retraction of the indexing mechanism is on the order of one second. Ergo, a reasonably well-trained operator can make sixty clip attachments per minute. However, one will appreciate that the timing circuits can be set to accommodate the efficiency of the operator and usage to date has indicated that a highly trained operator can make up to eighty or ninety attachments per minute with the speed of operation of the machine being set to accommodate his efliciency.

From a further consideration of FIG. 15, one will appreciate that an operator can control the machine through the foot pedal to make individual attachments without working at the speed required in the automatic mode by simply depressing and immediately releasing the foot pedal, since depressing the foot pedal will cause the punch to operate through the closing of contacts PS1 and the release of the foot pedal will cause the indexing mechanism to cycle through the normally closed contacts PS2. When switch contacts PS1 are closed the timers and solenoids will operate up to the point where contacts TB8/6 close and the said contacts will remain closed until the foot pedal is released to cause current to flow through contacts PS2 thereby energizing the indexing mechanism.

In order to cycle the indexing mechanism without op erating the punch, the operator keeps his foot off the foot pedal and depresses the jog push button thereby closing contacts JS3/4 and energizing relay R3 and timer TB. When relay R3 fires, its contacts R31/ 3 immediately close and in effect provide a lock so that the indexing mechanism will complete its cycle even if the operator immediately releases the jog push button. Since contacts PS2 are normally closed when the foot pedal is released, current will flow through the closed timer contacts TB8/ 6 to fire the solenoids SOL-3 and SOL-4 regardless of whether the switch AS is set for the automatic or single mode when the jog button is depressed. Since timer contacts TA1/3 are opened the punch will not operate and the subsequent energizing of relay R1 and opening of its normally closed contacts R15/ 8 will deenergize relay R3 and open its contacts R31/ 3 to insure only a single cycle of the indexing mechanism responsive to each depression of the jog push button. If the jog push button is held in by the operator, the indexing mechanism will come to rest for an instant and then immediately recycle since when relay R1 is deenergized its contacts R15/8 immediately close thereby reestablishing the circuit through contacts J 83/ 4 to relay R3 and timer TB.

In the present state of the personal leather goods art it is well known to utilize what is often termed a flat stud plate which is normally secured to the article beneath a fold in a flap thereof with only the stud per se protruding through an opening in the fold in lieu of the crimp-type clip 2. Usually the flap is precoated with a heat activated adhesive and the stud plate is pressed against the coated area by a heated punch or press head to eifect the initial attachment of the plate to the flap. Thereafter, the flap is folded on itself and again subjected to the heated press to adhesively bond the fold to the flap. Ergo, the flat plate is concealed in the finished product. It is already contemplated that the present invention might be readily modified for automatically carrying out the stages described above by utilizing a heated punch, and to a limited extent altering the control circuitry to change the sequence of operation whereby the press would cycle twice between each cycle of the indexing mechanism. The above described modification and those mentioned earlier are considered to be well within the scope of the invention which is most accurately defined by the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A part applying apparatus comprising a frame,

automatic part feeding means mounted on said frame,

a part support plate mounted on said frame,

part guide means mounted on said support plate,

a conveyor assembly for transporting parts from said feeding means to a first position adjacent said guide means,

part applying die means mounted on said support plate at a second position adjacent said guide means,

a reciprocable punch mounted on said frame and disposed above said die means and being cooperable with said die means to apply a part to a workpiece,

an indexing mechanism mounted on said support plate for linear reciprocating travel with respect thereto, said indexing mechanism including pusher means disposed between said guide means for progressively and incrementally moving parts along said guide means to said die means, the operation of said indexing mechanism being mechanically independent from the operation of said punch,

part retaining means for fixedly positioning a part on said die means directly beneath said punch,

separate driving means for cycling said punch and said indexing mechanism, and

control means, said control means including timing means for sequentially activating said driving means.

2. A part applying apparatus according to claim 1 including cam means operable to move said pusher means out of the path of travel of the parts along said guide means when said indexing mechanism is moving away from said die means back toward said conveyor assembly.

3. A part applying apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said part retaining means are located in said guide means and said die means.

4. A part applying apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said die means is mounted for linear reciprocating movement with respect to said support plate to permit said retaining means to cooperatively, fixedly engage '1 a part responsive to each cycle of said indexing mechanism.

5. A part applying apparatus according to claim 2 including a toggle cooperable with and actuated by said cam means for moving said pusher means out of said path of travel.

6. A part applying apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said control means includes means for automatically repetitively activating said driving means.

7. A part applying apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said control means includes means for independently activating said driving means for said indexing mechanism to repetitively cycle the latter without activating said punch.

8. A part applying apparatus according to claim 1 including part stopping means disposed adjacent said conveyor assembly and said first position adjacent said guide means, said stopping means being operable by said indexing mechanism to permit a single part to be advanced by said conveyor to said first position and into the path of travel of said pusher means during each cycle of said mechanism.

9. A part applying apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said pusher means are mounted on said indexing mechanism both above and below said support plate.

10. A part applying apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said guide means are adjustably mounted on said support plate for accommodating differently sized parts.

11. A part applying apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said driving means for said punch includes a toggle press.

12. In a machine for attaching fasteners to a workpiece wherein the operation of the fastener attaching punch and the means for transporting fasteners to the attaching station are mechanically independent, the combination of a die located at the attaching station,

a reciprocable punch cooperable with said die to attach a fastener to a workpiece each time the punch descends,

a press which drives said punch through one complete down-up cycle each time the press is activated,

fastener dispensing means,

means for transporting fasteners from said dispensing means to said die, said means including a fastener support plate having in upper surface,

a fastener guide means,

a conveyor for carrying fasteners from said dispensing means to said support plate and guide means, and

a fastener indexing mechanism mounted for linear, reciprocating travel with respect to said support plate and guide means, said indexing mechanism including fastener engaging means for progressively and incrementally moving fasteners from said conveyor along the upper surface of said support plate toward and onto said die when said punch is in the up position,

driving means for reciprocating said indexing mechanism, and

control means, said control means including timing means which sequentially activate said press and said driving means for reciprocating said indexing mechanism. 13. The combination according to claim 12 wherein said conveyor includes an endless, motor driven belt which extends from adjacent said dispensing means across said fastener support plate and moves in a direction generally normal to the direction of travel of said indexing mechanism.

14. The combination according to claim 12 including fastener stop and escapement means, operable during the reciprocation of said indexing mechanism, which means permit only a single fastener to be advanced by said conveyor into the path of travel of said fastener engaging means during each cycle of said indexing mechanism.

15. The combination according to claim 12 wherein said fastener guiding means includes a pair of laterally "spaced rails adjustably mounted on said support plate and defining a track along which fasteners are moved by said fastener engaging means, said guide rails carrying means which maintain a constant lateral pressure on the fasteners as they advance along said track.

16. The combination according to claim 12 including fastener retaining means disposed in said guide means adjacent the upper surface of said support plate, which retaining means prohibit retrograde movement of a fastener positioned on said die when said indexing mechanism retracts.

17. The combination according to claim 16 wherein 'said die is mounted for limited, linear movement under the bias of means normally urging said die toward said support plate, said die being momentarily urge away from said support plate by said indexing mechanism at the completion of the forward stroke of said mechanism, and including pivotal fastener retaining means which cooperate with said retaining means disposed in said guide means to fixedly position a fastener directly beneath said punch as said die is urged back toward said support plate by said biasing means when said indexing mechanism retracts.

18. The combination according to claim 12 wherein said indexing mechanism includes a carriage assembly slidably mounted on said support plate, at least a pair of pivot shafts rotatably supported by said carriage assembly and extending transverse said support plate and said guide means, said fastener engaging means being fixedly mounted on said pivot shafts, a cam fixedly mounted on at least one of said pivot shafts, a rotational force transmitting linkage connected between said shafts whereby rotation of a shaft to which a cam is connected in one direction will eifect a like rotation of the other shafts, means normally biasing said shafts in one rotational direction whereby said fastener engaging means are rotatably urged toward the upper surface of said support plate during the forward stroke of said indexing mechanism and cam actuating means operable to rotate said cam and shafts in the reverse direction during the return stroke of said indexing mechanism whereby said fastener engaging means are moved away from the upper surface of said support plate.

19. The combination according to claim 12 wherein said press is a pneumatically actuated toggle press.

20. The combination according to claim 12 wherein said fastener dispensing means is a vibratory feed hopper.

21. The combination according to claim =12 wherein said control means includes means for automatically, alternately and repetitively activating said driving means for reciprocating said press and said indexing mechanism.

22. A part applying apparatus comprising a frame,

automatic part feeding means mounted on said frame,

a part support plate mounted on said frame,

part guide means mounted on said support plate,

a conveyor assembly for transporting parts from said feeding means to a first position adjacent said guide means,

part applying die means mounted on said support plate at a second position adjacent said guide means,

a reciprocable punch mounted on said frame and disposed above said die means and being cooperable with said die means to apply a part to a workpiece,

an indexing mechanism mounted on said support plate for linear reciprocating travel with respect thereto, said indexing mechanism including pusher means disposed between said guide means for moving parts along said guide means to said die means, the operation of said indexing mechanism being mechanically independent from the operation of said punch,

part retaining means for fixedly positioning a part on said die means directly beneath said punch,

separate driving means for cycling said punch and said indexing mechanism, and

3,520,046 17 18 control means, said control means including timing 2,972,747 2/1961 Kelem 29-211 means for sequentially activating said driving means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 29 243 5 2,642,111 6/1953 Bindszus 29-24358 THOMAS H. EAGER, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No 3 ,520 ,04 6 July 14 1970 Will iam A. Erhard t, Jr. e t al It is certified that error appears in the above identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 1, line 69, "chance should read H change Column 2, l ine 25 fasener should read fas tener Column 5 line 9 14 should read 114 Column 1 2 l ine 19 "1 ip" should read cl ip line 58 "hoppor" should read hopper Column 13 l ine l 5 cancel the period and insert a comma. Column 1 5 l ine 4 5 'in' should read an l ine 4 6 cancel 'a" Column 16 l ine l 7 "urge should read urged Signed and sealed this 16 th day of February 1971 (SEAL) Attest:

Edward M. Fletcher, Jr. E. JR.

Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents 

